Tom Cruise's Digger Now Stands to Lose $245 Million After 60% Second-Weekend Drop

Tom Cruise's Digger is now tracking to lose $245 million over its theatrical run, according to Variety, which cites knowledgeable sources. The estimate comes after the film dropped 60% in its second weekend, and it is up from the $150 million to $200 million loss that was projected after its opening. Our earlier report on its opening weekend has more on the first numbers.

How the second weekend played out. Before the final figures were in, TheWrap's Friday estimates pointed to about $3 million for the weekend, a drop of roughly 60% from the $8 million opening, which would lift the ten-day domestic total to about $14 million. The film, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, opened in 3,321 theaters on October 2 and had earned about $9.9 million through its first five days. TheWrap described the run as a likely box office bomb. Weekend numbers published on Friday are early estimates, and final figures arrive on Monday.

Digger opened to $8 million domestically and about $20 million worldwide. After its second weekend, it has earned $14.4 million domestically and $35.3 million worldwide, according to Comic Basics. Variety expects it to finish with roughly $50 million globally.

The film cost an estimated $173 million to make and another $100 million to market, all financed by Warner Bros., according to TheWrap. Sources put the worldwide break-even point at about $350 million, though a studio spokesperson says it is around $300 million. Executives at Warner Bros.' new parent company, Skydance, told TheWrap that the loss could reach $250 million. You can read about the deal that created that company in our report on the merger.

Variety adds that a film with a major star and an acclaimed director would normally command an Oscar campaign of around $15 million, but that spending could be scaled back given the film's reception. Warner Bros. co-chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy left the company on the Friday Digger opened.

The film remains a talking point for critics and fans even as the numbers fall. Hollywood figures including Anne Hathaway and Guillermo del Toro have publicly defended it. For a different perspective, you can read our opinion piece on Digger, and for the latest on the film's run, see our report that Digger is being pulled from theaters.